Faint Moonlight and Tumbled Graves
by Viaka
Summary: The Institute is attacked; only Bobby and Rogue survive and escape, carrying a badly wounded Jamie with them...
1. The Escape

Disclaimer: Do not own--they're Marvel's and Kids WB...plot's mine, though!  
  
A/N: this takes place after "Under Lock and Key", k? Any reviews, flames, suggestions are welcome.  
  
  
  
  
A scream pierced the still air, but was quickly silenced.  
  
Rogue sat straight up in bed; she was still stuck in the medlab. She had told everyone that she was fine, but Hank and the Professor had still insisted that she remain in bed for at least three more days.  
  
Her hand snaked out to turn on the light, when a terrified voice pleaded quietly. "No, don't!"  
  
"Wha--" Rogue was confused. Who would be in the medlab this late at night, and so scared?   
  
"Please, Rogue, ya gotta help us!" the voice said, desperation filling his voice.  
  
"Wha--Bobby?!" she exclaimed, now more pissed than confused.  
  
"Shh. Not so loud! They'll hear you!" Bobby hissed.  
  
"Fahne. What the hell are yah doin in here?" she demanded. "And who's 'they'?"  
  
"Rogue, we don't have much time. Ya gotta get us outta here. They'll find us if we don't," he said, the fear once again plain.  
  
"Who's 'we'?" she asked.  
  
"Me 'n Jamie, but Jamie's hurt real bad. He's bleedin' and I think he's dyin."   
  
"What happened? WHat's going on?"   
  
"Rogue, I don't have time, Jamie could die. Help us get out, and I'll tell you everything I know, ok?" Bobby replied, agitated that this was taking so long.  
  
She hesitated, but finally the fear in Bobby's voice convinced her. "Ahlraght. C'mon," Rogue said, slipping from under the covers and off the bed, "Ah think Ah remembah how to get outta here without usin' the main entrance, or the waterfall." Opening the door, she checked to see if the hall was empty, and seeing that it was, hurried silently along the darkened passageway toward a storage closet near the elevator. She turned back to Bobby and whispered, "The last tahme Ah was grounded Ah went lookin' for different ways to get outta here, and I found this one."  
  
She opened the closet door and squeezed between a vacuum cleaner and a stack of boxes so she could touch the back part of the left wall. When she pressed on a certain spot, Bobby heard a tiny 'click' and Rogue let out a sound of satisfaction. She felt around the baseboard for the now-exposed lever, and upon finding it, pulled it back. It melted back into the baseboard as if it had never existed as a large wall panel noiselessly swung backward, exposing a tunnel carved out of the rock. She walked in and motioned for Bobby to follow her quickly, which he did.  
  
The door swung back into place, leaving them in darkness. "Crap," Bobby hissed. "We can't see!"  
  
"Actually," Rogue said, "Ah come here a lot, so Ah keep a flashlaght in here." In the middle of her sentence, she found it and turned it on, blinding both herself and Bobby with the brightness. "Sorry," she said. "C'mon, it goes on fer a ways and comes out neah the water tower, of all places."  
  
"Good, that's away from here, and that's all that matters," Bobby replied, struggling to keep up with Rogue's rapid pace as he carried Jamie. Rogue noticed that he was lagging and offered to carry Jamie for awhile--it would be safe, because he was wrapped tightly in a dark blanket.  
  
She set the flashlight on the floor of the tunnel and took Jamie from Bobby, who smiled a grim thanks and picked up the flashlight. Rogue's first thought was that the blanket was wet and smelled odd, which she first thought was just Bobby's sweat from exertion and panic. But within a few steps, she realized that it wasn't from Bobby, and it wasn't sweat.  
  
It was blood, Jamie's blood.  
  
"Holy..." she whispered as she walked even faster down the tunnel, realizing why Bobby had been in such a panic. They had to get Jamie to a hospital, quickly.  
  
But they couldn't. The hospital would never treat a mutant, even in an emergency.   
  
"The Brotherhood," Bobby said, "we have to get to them. They're the only ones who could possibly help us."  
  
If Rogue hadn't been so worried about Jamie, she would have stopped and stared at Bobby, certain that he had gone nuts. Now all she could manage was a quick glance at his face to see if he was for real.  
  
"I mean it," he continued, "as much as I hate them, we need their help."  
  
Rogue panted a quick agreement as they came to the end of the tunnel, a seemingly solid wall of rock. She put Jamie back in Bobby's arms and took the flashlight. Reaching up as high as she could, she used the flashlight as a club and struck it against a corner of the wall. The wall slowly moved inward, leaving a gap wide enough for two people to walk through side by side. Mumbling obscenities at the slow pace of the wall, she hustled Bobby through the opening and out into a section of what looked like a warehouse.   
  
As the door moved shut, Rogue and Bobby hurried to the doors of the warehouse and Rogue shoved them open. After Bobby had exited, she pushed them closed again and held her arms out for Jamie.  
  
"You carried him longer 'n Ah did, so it's only fair. C'mon, the Brotherhood house is only a mahle or so from here."  
  
They started walking again, both tired--Bobby from exhertion and the end of an adrenaline rush, Rogue from not having fully recovered from her personality ordeal, but both desperate to get to the Brotherhood soon. 


	2. What Happened?

Disclaimer: If I owned then, I'd be rich--but I'm not rich. Therefore, logic suggests that I don't own them.  
  
  
False dawn had lightened the sky by the time Bobby and Rogue arrived at the Brotherhood house. Bobby was once again carrying Jamie, for Rogue had nearly fainted from exhaustion a little over halfway there from carrying him. Bobby himself was stretched to his limit, and managed to up the steps of the front porch before he collapsed, barely avoiding dropping Jamie.  
  
Rogue banged on the door as hard as her fatigued state would allow, and soon a sleepy-eyed Toad answered the door.  
  
"What's goin' on here, yo?" he asked. "Roguey? What are ya doing here? What's with the X-Geek?"  
  
"Shut up, Toad. We need help. Jamie here's dyin. Somebody attacked the Institute, Ah dunno anythin else, but Bobby here does," she responded. "Now get everybody else up." Seeing Todd hesitate, she yelled "NOW, TOAD!"   
  
The intimidation tactic worked, and he hopped off to get everyone else. Rogue turned to help Bobby carry Jamie inside, and between the two of them they managed to get him onto the living room sofa. Jamie moaned and moved a little, but didn't regain consciousness.  
  
"Shh. It's goona be okay, Jamie, Ah promise," whispered Rogue as she touched his hair gently.   
  
A clattering on the stairs and a light breeze announced the arrival of the rest of the Brotherhood.  
  
"What's going on, Rogue?" asked Lance.  
  
"Ah dunno, but Jamie's bleedin' and he needs help," she responded.  
  
Wanda shoved past a barely-conscious Freddy and knelt down next to Jamie's broken body. She tried to pull the blanket off, but a lot of the blood had dried, attaching it firmly to his skin. "Crap," she muttered. "Lance, go get some CLEAN sheets and a pair of scissors...if you can find some hydrogen peroxide or something, bring that too. Pietro, go boil some water." The boys hurried to do her bidding, and she looked at Bobby and Rogue. "Ok, what happened to him? And--crap, you're bleeding too!" Wanda pointed at Bobby. His shirt was shredded across the front, and two gashes were visible on his chest and abdomen.  
  
"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. I was just so freaked out about Jamie and everything, I guess I just..." he trailed off under Wanda's firm glare.  
  
"Sit." He sat. "Good. Now, take off your shirt," she ordered. He looked read to protest, and she glared again and said, "I have to see how bad it is, ok?" He assented, and slowly pulled his shirt off, trying not to scream from the pain.  
  
Wanda's eyes widened, and Rogue inhaled sharply. The cuts were huge, and deep--stitches were a given. Rogue was amazed that Bobby had managed to carry Jamie for as long as he had. Wanda glanced at Rogue, and scowled. Rogue looked down, wondering what Wanda was glaring at, and quickly realized what it was. Rogue was still wearing a t-shirt and baggy shorts, no gloves, nothing protecting her arms and legs.  
  
"Go up to my room and change; use whatever of mine that works, but just go." Wanda said. Rogue nodded mutely and fled up the stairs.  
  
Lance and Pietro returned (Lance had had a difficult time finding a clean sheet) and set the items next to Wanda. She looked them over and nodded. "Ok, I need you two to get more water now, room temperature, and then use it to wet the blanket on the kid--Jamie?--so you can get it off without ripping everything open." They exited in search of a large pot to fill with water, and Wanda turned to Bobby.  
  
"What exactly happened?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, what did happen?" echoed Rogue as she came down the stairs, wearing a pair of pants and Wanda's trench coat over a t-shirt.  
  
"Oh, man." Bobby sighed. "It all happened so fast, but here's what I remember."  
  
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The door to my room burst open, and I sat up at the sudden noise. Two figures in black entered; one headed for Sam's bed, the other approached mine. Slowly, the one near me pulled out a set of long knives and I knew he meant to kill me. The other figure exited, having finished his task quickly, and I panicked. I flung my blanket over the head of the man and charged him. My head caught him in the chest and he went down.  
  
He got up quickly and lunged at me. I dodged, but not quickly enough, and one of the blades slashed my chest. I swept my leg under him, trying to dump him on the floor, but he jumped over it and slashed at me again. I caught his arm, though, and tried to twist it back far enough for him to drop the knife. Unfortunately, I was using both hands, and he was only using one. He used his free hand and stabbed me again, and shoved me to the floor. Then he ran out of the room.  
  
I don't know how long I lay there, but I guess they thought I was dead, because they didn't come back. Eventually, I got up and staggered over to Sam's bed, and checked for a pulse. There wasn't one, and the finality of it hit me hard. He was a heavy sleeper; he hadn't stood a chance.  
  
I made my way out of the room somehow and stumbled into the one across the hall--Jamie's room. I went in thinking he was dead, but he whimpered and I knew there was still a chance. I wrapped him in a blanket and picked him up. I hurried as quickly as I could to the utility stairs at the end of the hall, thinking that if the people came back, they wouldn't use this staircase. I pushed open the door, and the hinges groaned loudly. I swore at the noise, fearful they would hear, and sure enough, they did.  
  
Several figures ran towards me and the door, which I closed as quickly as I could. As soon as it was fully closed, I iced it over, thick enough to hold them for awhile. I ran down the stairs, trying my best not to drop Jamie, and soon came out in the corridor leading to Hank's offices and the medlab.  
  
'Rogue!' I thought. 'They probably haven't gotten here yet! She can help me get out!' I hurried into the medlab and into her room when I heard someone scream--one of the girls. I nearly gave up--the strangers were everywhere, and we were bound to be killed. But Jamie whimpered again, and my resolve came back.  
  
Somehow, Rogue agreed to get me and Jamie out, and did, without getting caught. We followed a secret tunnel and when we came out, hurried to the Brotherhood house as fast as we could.  
  
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"That's all I remember," Bobby said. "I just wish that..."  
  
"Yeah. I know," Wanda replied softly.   
  
  
  
  
By this time, the boys had managed to remove the blanket without reopening many wounds. Wanda asked Lance to clean Bobby up, since he was the less injured. She ripped off a section of one of the sheets, and poured cleaning alcohol on it. Swiftly yet gently, she washed the dried blood off Jamie's body, and soon the full extent of his injuries were visible.  
  
Wanda nearly fainted at their severity. She swallowed, and looked at Pietro. "You're the fastest, find Agatha Harkness and get her over here NOW!" He nodded and ran off. At Rogue and Bobby's questioning looks, she said, "She's a sorceress, and the only one I know who could fix that..." she nodded towards Jamie and her voice trailed off.   
  
Rogue and Bobby looked anxiously at each other. If Pietro didn't bring that woman soon, Jamie was bound to die.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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A/N: *evil laugh* so just how badly is Jamie hurt? Who WERE those strange figures? Why were they there? Stay tuned to find out! 


	3. Will to Live

Disclaimer: I wish.  
  
A/N: You like me! You really like me! *sniffs* I wasn't even planning on letting the story go past the first chapter, it was just an idea I was playing with, but...*sniffs* anyway, yeah.  
  
ONE MORE THING! This one's got a rather detailed, um, description of blood and gore, etc, so if ya don't like that kind of thing, um, skip it.  
  
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The front door flew open, and a somewhat-tired Pietro and a rather concerned Agatha entered the house and made their way to the living room.  
  
"About time!" muttered Wanda as she glared at her brother's panting figure.  
  
"Child, do not be upset. He did the best he was able," said Agatha in a calming voice. "Now, please tell me, what happened."  
  
Everyone looked at Bobby for an answer.   
  
Bobby looked at Rogue, who sighed. "Well, there was an attack at the Institute, an' Bobby an' Jamie an' me were the only ones to survahve, Ah think, and Jamie's hurt bad, and Bobby's hurt, too."  
  
"Thank you, child," Agatha replied. Surprisingly, Rogue did not react to being called a child, as she would have under normal circumstances. "Now, please, if everyone save Wanda will leave the room, I will tend to the injuries." Everyone started towards the door. "Not you, young man--Bobby, is it? You are wounded." Bobby returned to his seat. Rogue grabbed his hand and squeezed it lightly before exiting with the others.  
  
Agatha turned first to Jamie, to examine the severity of his wounds. She nearly gasped, for they were far worse than she had thought--indeed, worse than anyone knew. A knife or sharp object had sliced part of his throat open, narrowly missing his jugular and trachea. His chest and stomach were criscrossed with cuts and slashes, some deep, some not. The deepest one had obviously pierced his liver slightly--only slightly, but still deeply enough to be oozing bile and give reason to fear internal bleeding. His palms and fingers were also slashed--defensive wounds. Agatha gave an imperceptible smile; the boy had fought against his attacker, which means he had wanted to live.  
  
She turned to Bobby and spoke a few words in a mysterious language. Almost instantly he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. Turning back to Wanda, she said, "Wanda, I want you to watch and learn from this. It may be useful some day." With that, she placed her hands on Jamie's forehead and began to chant the first of many spells that would be cast that day.  
  
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Rogue had wandered outside and was sitting on the porch steps. She was worried about Jamie--she had liked the little guy. He was one of the few people at the Institute who hadn't been bothered by the 'no-touching' rule. He had still followed her around and talked to her; he had treated her like a normal person. Kitty, Kurt, and to an extent, Bobby, had been the only others to not care about her power. It had touched her deeply, and now, he could be dying.  
  
Footsteps sounded behind her, but she didn't turn around. "Yo, you ok?"   
  
Todd's concern made her smile. He had done his best to make her feel included and comfortable when she had first joined the Brotherhood, and she was comforted to know that he still cared. "Yeah, Toad, Ah'm fahne. Kinda tahred, but fahne," she lied. She didn't want pity right now, or sympathy.   
  
"Well, ok, um, if ya need anything, you know where it all is, ok,?" he replied uncertainly.  
  
"Yeah, thanks," she said, forcing warmth into her voice. After all, he was only trying to help.   
  
Todd, still not sure if she was ok, hopped off; knowing that she wanted to be left alone. Others, however, had a different idea.  
  
"Roguey, you're not ok. Why lie about it?" Pietro asked as he sat beside her.  
  
She scooted a few inches away--not many, but enough. "Why lie? Because if Ah don't, Ah'll have to admit that someone Ah care about is dyin and there's jack squat Ah can do about it! That's why!" she practically yelled at him.  
  
"Roguey, it's ok to feel scared," he said.  
  
"Not for me, it isn't. Ah'm Rogue. Nothin' scares me," she responded, avoiding his eyes.  
  
"Bull. You're scared that he won't make it," Pietro said softly.  
  
Rogue didn't respond and stared straight ahead, but it was clear from her expression that she was doing her best not to cry. She nearly succeeded, but a single tear rolled down her cheek. Pietro looked at her and his heart broke; he could see just how hard this whole thing had been, and would be, for her. Reaching out, he put his arm around her shoulders and drew her near. She laid her head on his shoulder, not speaking, not moving, just staring into the dawn light.  
  
"You know, Roguey, your reputation as the Ice Queen would be shot if someone saw you right now," he said.  
  
She chuckled. "Yeah, but mah reputation for revenge is such that if they did see me, they wouldn't dare say a thang about it."  
  
Pietro suppressed a shudder; he remembered when Rogue had switched his hair gel for Crisco, it hadn't come out for a week and a half. And when she had dyed Lance's hair pink and purple..."Yeah, no kidding," he said.  
  
They talked for awhile longer, about old times when they had both been with the Brotherhood, and told each other stories about events that had happened when the other wasn't in the Brotherhood. Soon, though, Rogue's responses had grown shorter and quieter, and Pietro looked down to see that she had fallen asleep. Smiling, he picked her up gently and carried her inside. He laid her on the bed in his room, and left; he would sleep on the floor in Lance's room.  
  
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That afternoon, Rogue staggered down the stairs, still sleepy, but determined to help take care of Jamie and Bobby. When she walked into the living room, Agatha was still there, preparing to leave.  
  
"How are they?" Rogue asked anxiously, seeing Bobby sleeping on one sofa, Jamie on the other.  
  
"That one," Agatha replied, indicating Bobby, "will be fine when he wakes sometime tomorrow, although he will be rather hungry and somewhat stiff. The other," Agatha sighed, sadness apparent in her voice, "I have done all I can; the rest is up to him."  
  
"D'ya think he'll make it?" Rogue asked, not bothering to conceal her worry.  
  
"I think he very well might. He has a very strong desire to live, and that, child, is the most important thing of all."  
  
Agatha smiled kindly at Rogue, and walked silently to the door and let herself out.  
  
Rogue had not noticed Agatha's quiet departure; she had taken a seat next to Jamie's still form, and, holding his hand, was silently pleading with him to live.  
  
  
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Let me know what you think! 


	4. Jamie

Disclaimer: Yeah, right.   
A/N. It's been awhile, sorry for that. I hope you enjoy this chapter, I've determined to write it despite my muse being on strike. And to the reviewers, thank you--it's nice to know that people are actually reading this story.  
Rogue's eyes opened slowly and she sat up in the chair she had fallen asleep in. She stretched to get the kinks out of her muscles, but the pain from said muscles caused her to stop almost immediately.   
  
She glanced over to the sofa on which Bobby was laying. Or was supposed to be laying. Panicking, she stood up and hurried into the kitchen to see if anyone had seen him. She rounded the corner and stopped short at the scene before her. Bobby and Lance were in front of the stove, talking and cracking jokes while helping Freddy make pancakes.  
  
"BOBBY!" she yelled, no longer worried, just angry. "Don't ya evah do that ta meh again! Ya scared meh ta death!"  
  
Bobby looked at her and tried to look remorseful, and failed miserably. "Sorry, Rogue, but you looked so peaceful sleeping there, I didn't want to wake you, and..." he trailed off as Rogue started yelling again.  
  
"Ah don't care! Ya have no rahgt ta scare meh lahke that!" She continued more quietly. "You an' meh an' Jamie are all that's left, an' Ah don't want ta lose ya." She looked away as she spoke, and as soon as she finished, hurried out of the kitchen and back to Jamie's side.  
  
Bobby, Lance, and Freddy just stared.  
  
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Several hours later, Rogue was still with Jamie, holding his hand and staring quietly at his serene face. Freddy had brought her some pancakes and some juice, but they sat untouched on the floor. She wasn't hungry, and knew she wouldn't be until Jamie woke up. Rogue refused to accept that Jamie could still die; she insisted to herself that he would be fine, and wake up any second.  
  
Bobby was worried, too, but for different reasons. If the intruders had learned that they had left survivors, the intruders would hunt them down and most likely kill them, and the Brotherhood too. He didn't know what to do--that had always been Scott's job.  
  
Anal little Scott. He had been so irritating, but now Bobby regretted all the times he had made fun of him and griped about chores or the Danger Room. He missed Sam, and Kurt and Kitty, he even missed Jean, now that he knew she was gone.  
  
And Rogue. She had always been distant. Kurt and Kitty had been her only friends; Bobby and Jamie only sort-of were. What would she do now? She had no family to go home to, no money, no transportation, and no means of survival. Bobby sighed, and headed off to find Lance--maybe he could take his mind off his problems.  
  
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Rogue watched Jamie and thought back to when she had first met him. All of the New Recruits had been terrified of her, especially Jamie. She hadn't spent much time with them, but she had begun to notice Jamie's mistreatment. He was teased, bullied, and excluded by the others because of his age, and she had started to feel bad for the little guy. Rogue knew what it was like to be ignored and unwanted, so she began to go out of her way to be friendly to Jamie--sneaking him cookies from Kurt's stash, helping him play pranks on Ray and Bobby, tutoring him in math and science.   
  
And now, he was helpless.  
  
She watched his little chest rise and fall with his breathing, and tears began to fall again. Not many, for she held most back, but a few, and one landed on the hand that grasped Jamie's. She started at the unexpected drop, and looked back at Jamie's face.  
  
His eyelids fluttered open for a moment, and he gave a faint smile as he focused on the figure beside him. "I love you Rogue," he whispered feebly. His eyes closed, and Rogue squeezed his hand, smiling as her tears stopped. She leaned over and kissed his forehead, through his hair, and whispered, "Ah love you, too, Jamie."  
  
She sat by his side for several more hours, watching him breathe, until his chest failed to move again.   
  
Leaning over him again, she pressed another kiss to his brow. "G'bye, Jamie. Ah love ya," she whispered.  
  
Letting go of his hand, she moved the blanket to cover him completely and then walked to the window. She stood there, looking blankly out, fighting desperately not to cry. Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she turned to see Bobby standing there, sorrow and tears filling his eyes. Wordlessly, he opened his arms, and she stepped into them. Burying her face in his shoulder, she let the tears fall, mourning for Jamie and Kitty and Kurt and Amara and everyone else. Bobby cried, too; and they stood there for a long time, not saying anything, comforting each other the best they could. 


	5. Mourning

Disclaimer: Yeah, right.

A/N: I'M BACK!!! Sorry about the ridiculously long delay, but I've been in the process of moving, and have been too busy to do anything but review occasionally. Thank you for your patience, and now, ON WITH THE STORY!!

Oh yes, if you don't like sad stuff, skip this chapter, ok? Ok.

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The next morning, Rogue, Bobby, and the Brotherhood stood before the Institute gates, Jamie's body in Bobby's arms. They had decided (after much bickering) that it would be wise to visit the Institute, if only to bury Jamie.

Pushing the gates open, the morose group slowly walked to the hill near the woods; the hill where Jamie had loved to sit and play GameBoy. 

Lance had brought along a shovel, and soon a six-foot hole had been dug in the shade of a large oak tree.  Wrapping Jamie's body tightly in a blanket, Rogue and Bobby slowly lowered him into the ground.

With tears flowing freely down their faces, the two stepped back to join the others. The hole was quickly refilled by Freddy and Pietro, and Lance embedded a simple wooden cross with Jamie's name cared into it firmly in the ground. The group stood silently, for his death had affected them all—even the Brotherhood, for they had had found themselves hoping desperately that Jamie would survive.

After a time, Bobby's voice broke through the still air. "Earlier, I was thinking, and I realized that Jamie would want us to keep going, and not stop everything and give up just because he was gone. He wouldn't want us to be so sad.

"I found this poem," he continued, "that I think fits." Clearing his throat, he began to read aloud from a scrap of paper in his hand.

_When I am dead..._

_Sing no sad songs for me_

_Plant no roses at my head_

_Nor shady cypress tree._

_Be the green grass above me,_

_With showers and dewdrops wet._

_And if thou wilt, remember,_

_And if thou wilt, forget._

_For I shall not see the shadows,_

_I shall not feel the rain;_

_I shall not hear the nightingale _

_Sing on, as if in pain._

_And dreaming through the twilight_

_That doth not rise or set_

_Haply I may remember._

_And haply, may forget._

His voice broke on the last few words, and Lance and Rogue put their hands on Bobby's shoulders, offering what silent comfort they could.

Soon, everyone began to go, but a clear alto voice stopped them from leaving.

No one told me it was gonna rain today 

_Turn my face down from the sky._

_Something broke inside my heart today_

_Christmas presents on the day he died._

_Crippled dreams are never mentioned;_

_Broken dreams that will not heal._

_People say that I should give it time._

_Tonight I cannot help but cry,_

_February twenty-nine._

_In a world of dying children, rain never seems to cease._

_I will hope for things unseen now, One day my heart will be at peace._

_Hope there's a place that's so much better,_

_A place where children never cry—_

_Where no one's ever cold or hungry;_

_A place where you cannot go blind._

_Turn my face up to the sky now,_

_Wipe the tears from my eyes_

_It will take for me much longer time,_

_February, February, February twenty-nine._

_In a world of dying children, rain never seems to cease._

_I will hope for things unseen now, One day my heart will be at peace._

As the last note faded into the air, Rogue closed her mouth and lowered her head, refusing to let more tears fall. 

The rest of the group left one by one to leave the singer to her privacy,

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The poem is When I Am Dead, by Christina Rossetti. The song is 2/29 by Brave St Saturn, and although the song talks about February 29, this story has no real dates over which it happens. (It's figurative, so to speak) 

Let me know what you think, ok?


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